Democrat Virginia Rep. Jerry Connolly Passes Away

Democrat Jerry Connolly, a representative from Virginia, died Monday morning after battling cancer.

The 74-year-old had announced in April that he would not be running for re-election and would step down as a leading member of the House Oversight Committee following his diagnosis of esophageal cancer. He had previously won a contest against New York Democrats, with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez chairing the panel in December.

His family shared the news of his passing, expressing their sorrow in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we share the peaceful death of our dedicated and loving father, husband, siblings, friends and civil servant, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly,” the family wrote in a post on X.

With his death, Connolly became the third House Democrat to pass away since the beginning of the 119th Congress in January.

This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.